CLANNAD ~AFTER STORY~ – 17

It’s been five years since Ushio was born, and Tomoya’s life has been a cycle of eating, working, and sleeping. He wants to forget everything and just keep working without taking any time off because any time he has to himself is painful. Tomoya also still feels that meeting, dating, marrying, and having a child with Nagisa was all a mistake. One day, he’s visited by Sanae who invites him out on a date. She knows that he hasn’t been getting out enough, and while on this date, she proposes that the entire family goes somewhere. Tomoya is reluctant, but Sanae keeps pressing him, so eventually he gives in. On the agreed upon day, Tomoya heads to the Furukawa house, but he finds neither Sanae nor Akio around. There’s only a note saying that the two had to go out because of some urgent business, and they’re leaving everything to him. As Tomoya soon realizes, that includes Ushio. The young girl doesn’t know where Sanae and Akio went, but she tells Tomoya that she wants to go on a trip. Tomoya decides that they can’t because Sanae and Akio aren’t there, however this means that he has to watch over Ushio for the rest of the day.

Tomoya isn’t quite sure what to do with Ushio during this time and smokes instead. He let Sanae and Akio raise her during the past five years, and he’s missed most of the key moments of her childhood. Ushio plays on her own, but when she falls down and breaks a toy, Tomoya helps her fix it. Later, he heads out to the supermarket to buy some food, and Ushio follows him. He happens to run into Sanae and Akio’s neighbor Isogai while he’s there, and she comments on how lonely it must be for Ushio not to be able to see him. Tomoya ends up making fried rice for lunch, but Ushio refuses to take more than one bite of it because of the pepper he put in it. Instead, she just wants white rice, and once he gives her a bowl of it, she adds some furikake and starts eating. Sanae and Akio don’t come home that night, so Tomoya stays and watches over Ushio. The next day, the two have nothing to do, and after Ushio uses the toilet on her own and proudly announces it, Tomoya decides to take her on a trip after all. Ushio is okay with it just being the two of them, so they pack and set out.

As they walk side by side, Tomoya thinks to himself that, up until now, Sanae or Akio has always been there when he was with Ushio. This is the first time the two have been alone together like this since she was born, and he wonders to himself where they’re trying to go.

Preview

Wow, they jumped forward through a lot of time between last episode and this. I’m glad though that they did because I really didn’t want to watch an episode or two’s worth of Tomoya being depressed. That was essentially all covered in the first few minutes of this episode before the story moved on to Tomoya’s rehabilitation and the building of his relationship with his daughter. On that note, it was frustrating watching how distant he was initially to Ushio, and what really irked me was that he was smoking when she was around. Secondhand smoke is horrible for children, and even if he doesn’t want to be Ushio’s father, he doesn’t need to be exposing her to something that could kill her.

Speaking of Ushio, it’s hard to get over how cute she is. She’s like a mini-Nagisa, and she manages to be adorable in almost all ofthe scenesthat she’s in. I also thought that it was a nice touch how the room literally brightened when she showed up, symbolic of how she represents the brightening of Tomoya’s future after so many years of depression. The other thing I want to comment on is that, despite my criticism surrounding it last week, I liked the lead-in to the ED this week with Ushio skipping along. I hadn’t realized that it was her (always assumed it was Nagisa) in the ED, and even though that doesn’t make using it last week any better, it does make it feel appropriate for this part of the story.

Oh and on a random note, it was good to see the stuffed giant anteateragain. I think the last time it showed up was in episode 12 of the first series, and I didn’t expect it to see it again.

At first I was kinda afraid of Tomoya, the way he acted around Ushio… but even though he’s so scary Ushio is still supercute^^ Looks exactly like Nagisa. I love the part when she came back bragging about how she managed to go to the potty alone and he got pissed of saying he can do it too XD

Well, at least Tomoya don’t neglect his daughter in the way anybody would expect after last week. The main difference between what happened to Tomoya with his father and what’s doing now with Ushio is that Sanae and Akio habe been taking care of her, a fact that Tomoya didn’t have. It’s like he wasn’t ready to raise her (at least not without Nagisa), but with Ushio now as a mini-Nagisa, is nearly impossible to not care.

@X and Edgar: please wait for the next two episodes before passing judgment on Tomoya; they are also the best part of the story in the visual novel in my opinion. I’ve waited over a year for the scene shown in the OP of the first season :).

“he doesn’t need to be exposing her to something that could kill her.”

…what? Since when can being around smoke occasionally for a few years of your childhood kill you? Sure, it’s horrible to be around but if my dad didn’t smoke I likely wouldn’t have spent my life avoiding it as soon as I was old enough to know how. If being subjected to it has shown me never to do it then, in hindsight, I kind of appreciate my father doing it. Even if he was just being selfish.

Holy f-in shiz, Ushio is overcute…even more so than her mother. I told ya that girl had potential. Its very nice that they didn’t show the 3 years of Tomoya dissing Ushio & being all depressed like in the movie (reused footage is unforgiveable). BTW, it was around this time that he left her again so just wait it out.

I really don’t care about being politically correct. Smoking (1st or 2nd hand) doesn’t automatically give you cancer. My folks smoked around us for too long b4 they finally gave it up…I had to endure it for 22 f-in years. It was their final kid that made them do it anyways even though it was me & my wife that was taking care of her. Besides, we all know that she have the same disease as her mother so it won’t be the smoke that kills her :(

Ganbare Tomoya, your life is about to get much more fecked than it already is. But who cares about that. Ushio is just the pure reincarnation of Nagisa, even down to the way she falls on her face. Damn cute, this is the first time I felt like this in a very long time. Heh, if my kids want to hit me up for cash, now is the time to do it :D

Hmmm… Well steelman. You could not say that ‘couse I always will wait and watch these series until the end! It’s quite painfull to admit, that Clannad will end again and probably this time it will be permanently! I hope that ending will be ”killer” good!!

I’m…actually looking forward to seeing this, surprisingly. I’d thought this week would be a drag; skipping over all of Tomoya’s character developement being undone and straight to it being (slooowly) patched up again is a heartily welcome surprise.

Will it be a surprising ending like Kanon 2006? Well he end up with someone again? Who knows! The ending is very important, and it a long way to go yet. Weee! It’s not that bad! Or should I say, it not that depressing like the movie. Weeee!!!

@ megas:
I STILL smoke and I don’t have cancer. people focusing on tomoyas habits would be best to stop.

Frankly, I just stared at Ushio for a minute or two and said “You, little girl, are a clone of your mother”
You will see a progressive change for the next episode. Most, if not all of it being dedicated to ushio and tomoyas train trip north (I still say its Aomori prefecture…).

This episode did a good job of giving everyone a brutal and honest layout of tomoyas life and how nagisas death affected him.

BTW the little skip at the end of the episode leading to a seamless transition to the end credits made me laugh a fair bit.

I’ve really got nothing to say in terms of bad for this episode since the greytone did well to convey tomoyas sense of isolation in comparison to the people around him. His manner of speaking when sanae showed up suggested he did care for ushio but saw himself as unfit due to naisas death and the kind of person he thinks he is.
Its a roller coaster ride from here. I suspect inspired tears in 2 weeks. I really do. then a week after that the Yelling of a certain taro type character we all know and miss.

So that douche tomoya hates his dad and then did the same after nagisa dies. I bet nagisa will smile in heaven knowingly the one that impregnated her throw away the child after she died and considered all the things with her is a mistake to begin with. I never thought I could find a male lead more detesable than makoto and suzaku.

tg8, you’re too right. As an uncle to 5 & 6 yo’s (my kids are all grown-teens now), they destroy the house & get into everything – & they really make you want to END them AND their parents. Never have your family (cousins, bothers, sisters) live with you when they get older – they’ll mooch off of you forever.

I can’t really pinpoint Ushio’s persona. All 5 & 6 yo’s are selfish, hyperactive, & will get everything they can from you if they get the chance. I don’t mind spoiling them since their parents can’t and all. But 5 & 6 yo’s tend to fall on their faces a lot, especially the boys so she’s real in that context. I guess she’s like that becuase she doesn’t know her father that well…but if she was real she would turn into a selfish brat in 5 minutes & she’ll make you go into deathmode in 15, just as you said.

I usually feel like punching male protagonist weaklings who say that they can’t do anything and have the females suffer. Well this managed me to want to punch some strong willed male character. Tomoya’s attitude was just horrible. I guess that is the good thing about this series, it was able to bring that emotion deep from me.

@megas: her raising is a reflection of what she saw in sanae and a wanting to be with her dad all the time. based upon all the toys in the room, I could assume when she is with akio and sanae she is a bit of a differant person around them.
We will likely see the “true” ushio, the non withdrawn and shy one soon enough.

Remember, ushio was raised for 5 years without her dad and probably longed to be with him.

By the way, people, where is Akio – The Grand Father?!
Is he trapped in despair in place of Tomoya?
Were he also “not around” for these 5 years, the Ushio’s temper is less surprising.
Sanae’s mood of dating is there for the proof, as well.. ;)

Man..I know this episode was a little bit more cheerful than the previous ones, and that Ushio is super cute, but I seriously couldn’t watch more than a minute without my eyes tearing up again. It’s so not right without Nagisa. BRING HER BACK!!!

mmmmmm, I wonder if they’re following the VN and if they’ll do the “light orbs” thing, remember all of the story paths have been animated already and there’s a bunch of episodes ahead, and if u care to know of what might happen if they follow the VN’s perfect ending:

-ushio dies of nagisa’s same disease
-tomoya goes fruit loops and meets….in some world
-everyone is back together!!!!

I bet there’s a very high chance that is the case – I mean what’s the point of all the “Other World” and alternate universe and light orbs, if they don’t do the true ending? They even did the ultimate “Call out to Nagisa” “Not call out to Nagisa” choice. They’ll probably go back in a loop and do the “Call out” pattern next.

Ushio is so cute, looks just like her mama. I wonder if she knows Tomoya is her daddy? You know with her basically being raised by Akio and Sanae. But anyway, Tomoya looks so cold, and he kinda looks like he doesn’t care about anything, even his own daughter. It’s just the expression on his face. And smoking?! Come on dude, don’t inhale that gas. Anyway my main point is that Tomoya is just so gloomy looking and he doesn’t need to feel guilty about Nagisa’s death, things happen and there’s nothing you can do about it.

It’s funny to see how many people are dropping the series just because something bad happens. Come on guys, we wouldn’t know what is good if there is no bad. There are certainly more depressing things to come but there WILL be a good ending if they are following the novel.

@ all you people peculating on the ending to this series:Show Spoiler ▼

I called it first, see all previous after story episodes. They will both die, tomoyas conciousness will awaken in the other world where he will see that ushio has become the spirit of that world in human form, she will remind him of his purose then he will break a time paradox and end up back to a certain point where he will be able to save nagisa using all 13 orbs of light (btw, at the end of ushios arc, you will get the last orb needed) also, expect to see fuko 2-3 episodes from now

After you watched other two series made by same person, it is hard to predict what the ending is. For Kanon 2006, the ending surprised me. As for Air, it was sad, yet, touching end. I bet it going to be another surprised ends :D

Did anyone notice that the anteater plush is another reference to Kanon 02/ Kanon 06 for Mai?

My fave. lines were “Ita…da…ki…ma…su…”. That was too cute. Another is “I went all on my own” during the potty scenes. That rice scene was awesome too.

If I remember correctly, the movie had Ushio appear in the end after Tomoya’s train trip, but I like this better. He can bond and see what he’s missing and not missing. In the movie, Tomoyo and Sunohara came before the trip to consult with Tomoya. His dad came too, but we can save all the emo and drama for later.

I really adore mini-Nagisa. I think by now we have a clue about the Girl and Robot scenerio. I also hope Ushio can call Tomoya, “Otousan” because she hasn’t said it yet. ^^

OMG Ushio is wayyyyy tooooo cuteeeeeeeee!! But that damned Tomoya neglects about her and… for the next week’s episode’s preview made me feel like killing him when he said “Keep it down! Think about those around you a little!”. ARGHH THAT JUST PISSES ME OFF!

It’s just like what his father is doing to him, it’s a cycle now. :\
Boy, if he continues to do that, Ushio might do what he does when he was little, ignoring Tomoya, and being a delinquent and all.

And Tomoya doesn’t even notice that the past his father and him his now gonna happen with him and Ushio instead. Geez, Now I know why he doesn’t have the right to judge his father because he himself does it.

If he ever does something bad to Ushio, who knows what Nagisa’s expression must be while she’s in heaven :| or maybe who knows what she’ll say when she and Tomoya meet in the second life. BAH! I’m not a Tomoya hater or anything. I’m just pointing out things I see, it’s just an opinion.

I agree that Tomoya is actually treating Ushio like how his own dad is treating Tomoya. But thinking about this, it may be different. Ushio might not become a delinquent since she is under the care of Sanae and Akio (and I bet they are raising Ushio like how they were raising Nagisa). Of course I’m just expressing what my opinion is. We’ll never know what will happen to her in the future.

Though, we possibly know what kind of ending there will be. Let’s just see how they are going to end this series… I just love this series that I might cry if it ends >_<

haha, i loved the ushio skipping thing too! when i first saw it, thinking it was nagisa, it felt too childish (because she never does that). and after watching this episode, the whole walking backwards part makes more sense too.

I lost some respect for Tomoya now, for obvious reasons. He’s never had the best of common sense, and in fact, it was Nagisa that kept him afloat. I understand it’s a horrible loss, but please, use your head! Change happens, so adapt. And never NEVER EVER smoke around children, regardless whether or not they’re yours! Unbelievable.

That aside, Sanae seems to be more clever than she lets on. :) I DO wonder where they both went though.

And I never thought ANYTHING could be cuter than Mei until Ushio became a real character! I cannot get OVER HOW CUTE SHE IS OH MY GAAD! :D :D :D I replayed her lines over and over! There’s no way Tomoya can’t brighten up only a bit around her!